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Epoxy is a permanent adhesive used on many types of surfaces, from plastic to metal. Once epoxy has hardened, removing it can be tricky. Epoxy starts in a liquid state. As it is mixed, the substance’s temperature heats up until it starts to cool off and harden. You can remove epoxy by getting it back to a liquid, or at least gel-like, state so that you can scrape it from the surface. Removing epoxy can be accomplished relatively easily, as long as you take the proper safety precautions and are patient.

Steps

Method1

Using Heat to Remove Epoxy

1

Put on gloves, goggles, and a mask. When heating epoxy, vapors will be produced that are not friendly to your eyes. Do not settle for wearing glasses. You need a pair of goggles that covers your eyes completely, sitting flush against your skin, with no holes or air entry points. Similarly, you should wear rubber gloves that come down at least 3 inches from your wrist. If at all possible, find ones made with elastic so that air won’t seep in. Finally, wear a simple fabric face mask to protect your lungs.[1]

2

Wear clothes that cover your skin. Find a pair of tight pants and a tight fitting long-sleeve shirt. If the shirt is a button-up, make sure all of the buttons are secure. This is meant to protect your skin from reacting to any vapors that may arise from heating the epoxy.

3

Soak the surface in acetone. If the epoxy is attached to a wooden surface, soak the area in acetone for an hour or more before using heat to soften the epoxy. You can either place the object into acetone, or drip acetone onto the surface where the epoxy is set in. Acetone will only soak into a wooden surface.[2]

When dealing with epoxy on plastic, marble, cement, vinyl or metal, any chemical will interact with the top of the surface, but they do not penetrate down into the layers like they do with wood.

4

Aim a heat gun at the epoxy for several minutes. The objective is to raise the epoxy temperature to over 200 degrees, its softening point. Work the heat gun in small strokes, rather than letting it stay at the same position for minutes at a time. If the epoxy is on a plastic or wooden surface, keep an eye on the surface so you don't warm it up too much and burn it.[3]

Rather than using a heat gun, you can use a soldering iron. After the iron is heated, apply it directly to a specific area of the epoxy bond line. This will soften the epoxy.[4]

If the epoxy you are seeking to heat is located on an object, rather than the floor tiling, you can place it on a hot plate. This will accomplish the same thing as the heat gun, and is more frequently available.

5

Heat small areas at a time. Don’t heat the entire bond line of epoxy at once or you won’t be able to keep the epoxy hot for long enough. Instead, work on segments that are about 2-3 inches in length. After you have one segment done, work on the segment right next to the first. It will be easier to scrape off with a now open edge.[5]

6

Scrape off the heated epoxy. Use a strong, plastic scraper to remove the epoxy from the surface. You may notice that the heat did not penetrate all the way down into all of the layers of epoxy. In this case, keep reheating the area and scrape until all the epoxy has been removed.[6]

Do not heat right after you have already heated an area. Wait a few minutes for the epoxy to cool off before you go back and reheat. Otherwise you could cause the area to catch on fire.

Do not use scrapers made of metal because they can easily cause damage.

Method2

Freezing the Epoxy

1

Wear safety gloves, goggles, and a mask. You will need a pair of goggles that sits tight on the face, not letting any air in. You will also need a large pair of rubber gloves that go down at least 3 inches from the wrist. Also wear a fabric face mask so that you don’t breathe in the vapors given off by the refrigerant. This is for your own safety, so that you do not get refrigerant in your eyes or on your skin. This is a dangerous chemical that could cause physical harm. [7]

2

Open your windows and doors. This allows air to move freely and carry vapors from the refrigerant outside. If you don't open them, the fumes can build up, and make it very dangerous to breathe the air. As the airflow is moving, you should place your kids and pets in a safe room with the door closed. This will prevent them from breathing in fumes.

Make sure to turn your air conditioning or heating unit off so that the fresh air doesn’t pull the vapors in.

3

Shake your can of refrigerant. Refrigerant sprays can be found in multiple brands at more hardware stores. When you purchase a can, you will want to shake it before using, just like any other spray can. Then you want to hold it about 1 foot away from the epoxy you want to spray. Make sure you are holding the can upright, otherwise the liquid will leak out.

4

Spray your refrigerant on the epoxy. The spray will quickly drop the temperature of anything it touches. The epoxy will freeze and turn brittle. Do NOT put your hands near the area you are spraying. Make sure that your gloves and goggles are secure before you begin spraying. If you have children or pets, do not let them near the area.[8]

5

Chip away the brittle epoxy. Use a plastic putty knife or hit the epoxy with a rubber mallet or hammer. The epoxy should be cold enough that it turns to crystals and breaks off easily. You will then want to sweep the crystals up into a dustpan, and immediately dump them into the trashcan. You can use a vacuum cleaner to make sure that you get rid of all of the remaining microscopic crystals.

Be careful not to damage your surface by putting too much pressure on the epoxy. If it doesn't break apart easily, try adding more spray cooler to chill the resin even more.

Method3

Preparing Chemicals to Remove Epoxy

1

Wear goggles, safety gloves, and a mask. Using chemical agents can be very dangerous to your eyes, mouth, and skin. You will need to buy a pair of goggles that sits flat against the face, with no holes where air can get through. You will also have to purchase a thick pair of rubber gloves that comes down at least 3 inches from the wrist. Also wear a simple fabric face mask, so that you do not breathe in any dangerous vapors.[9]

2

Open up windows and doors. This is incredibly important because you need airflow. Air will carry the harmful vapors of the chemicals towards the outside of your house. If your windows and doors remained closed, you will likely breathe in chemical agents which are hazardous to your health.[10]

Make sure to turn your air conditioning or heating unit off so that the fresh air doesn’t pull the vapors in.

3

Choose a chemical that will soften epoxy. It is also critical that the chemical agent does not damage the surface on which it is stuck to. Chemicals may damage certain surfaces such as cloth, plastic or vinyl. The strong chemicals may actually eat away at surfaces before they soften the epoxy glue.[11]

Stay away from Class 3 and 4 oxidizers. These agents can cause spontaneous combustion, or can catch on fire down the road.

Try a paint thinner. The acetone in most paint thinners can soften up hardened epoxy, but be prepared to let the epoxy and object to which it is stuck to soak for at least an hour.

Use a commercial stripping agent. These are usually available at most hardware stores.[12]

4

Apply the stripping agent. You can either drip some of the agent directly onto the epoxy, or put some on a washcloth, and dab the epoxy. Either way, make sure that enough agent makes it's way onto the epoxy. After the agent has been applied, wait at least an hour before you come back to it.[13]

Work in small steps, 2-3 inches at a time. If the area is too wide, the chemical agent will likely not work as effectively.

Make sure that children and pets are not around when you are applying the chemical agent.

5

Mix a cleaning solution. After the chemical stripping agent sits for an hour, you will need to neutralize it before you scrape it off. In a medium sized bucket, mix together 2-3 tablespoons of trisodium phosphate and a gallon of hot water. You can either pull the mixture onto the stripping agent, or dab it on with a sponge. Let it sit, and neutralize the agent for at least 5 minutes.[14]

6

Scrape the epoxy resin from the surface. Scrape the resin off with a sharp, strong, plastic scraper. You will want to immediately place the epoxy in a paper towel, and throw it away in a trash can. The goal is to not let the chemical agents get anywhere near you. If some epoxy is still stuck to the surface, soak the remaining epoxy in the chemical for a while longer before trying to scrape it off.[15]

When you have scraped the epoxy off, wash the area down with a rag soaked in warm water and soap. You do not want the chemicals to linger around, especially with children and pets in the house.

How can I remove a light switch that has been super-glued to painted plaster?

Community Answer

Use as sharp a chisel as possible, or a flat razor blade, and try to cut the glue from the plaster. Go slow and easy, cutting away from you. Be prepared to repair the plaster, as cracks or pits are likely.

How do I remove epoxy from a gold ring? The stone was glued in place, but broke. Will acetone harm the golden surface?

Community Answer

Acetone wont harm the gold in any way. Easiest way to remove the epoxy is to heat it to about 200 C and gently scrape it off the ring to remove the majority (use a plastic tool), then use a solvent to remove the rest.

Use Air Brush Thinner on a small rag with soap and a tad of water. Use a small rag, since the stuff's expensive. You can use hand sanitzer too. The alcohol in it does the trick. You can also put rubbing alcohol on a rag with a bit of water and soap.

Place the paintbrush in a disposable aluminum baking pan. Then, heat vinegar up in a pot on the stove to almost boiling. Pour the hot vinegar over the paintbrush in the pan and allow the brush to soak for 10 minutes or longer. Use a brush comb or wire brush to remove the softened paint. Then, wash the brush with warm water and soap, rinse the paintbrush with clean water, and allow the brush to dry on a flat surface or hanging up.

Klean Strip, if you can find it; the aerosol can works better than the regular can. Spray all over and let sit for 15 minutes. You could also soak paper towels in acetone and wrap cup, then wrap with foil. Put in a warm area and let sit for an hour.

Video.

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Tips

Ask a hardware professional for advice. Sometimes there are home remedies which work just as well at removing epoxy. Professionals will also be able to refer you to the best products out there on the market at removing epoxy.

Attempt to remove the epoxy two to three times. Sometimes the method you use will only work for the top layer of epoxy. Repeat trials until all of the layers are gone.

Warnings

Keep your pets and children in a safe place as you are applying chemicals to the epoxy.

Allow for air to move freely throughout the house and turn off your air conditioning or heating unit. You do not want to bottle up vapor from dangerous chemicals.

Make sure your gloves, goggles, and mask are secure. You do not want some of the fumes to make contact with your skin, mouth or eyes.

To remove epoxy, aim a heat gun at the epoxy for several minutes, which will soften it so it's easy to scrape off. If you're trying to remove a large amount of epoxy, you may need to work on small sections at a time. You can also remove epoxy by spraying it with a can of refrigerant. The refrigerant will cause the epoxy to freeze, and then you can just chip it away with a putty knife. To learn how to remove epoxy using chemicals, scroll down!

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wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 10 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. Together, they cited 15 references.

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Co-authors: 10

Updated: March 29, 2019

Views: 520,069

AL

Andy Lopez

May 24, 2017

"I saw the word "exfoliate" and had an a-ha moment - glue on your fingers? Use a pedicure machine! Gently run the callous removing pedi machine (mine is a pumice roll) over the glue on your fingers or wherever, and the glue is gone."..." more

RB

R. B.

Sep 13, 2017

"The article allowed us to remove epoxy from a check fixture that would have required us to remake if it wasn't removable, so thank you!"..." more

A

Anonymous

Mar 11, 2017

"I've been looking all over the Internet to find how to get this stuff off my walls, and this is by far the most helpful."..." more

Gussy Gatlin

Jul 12, 2017

"Removed epoxy from the inside housing of a motor oil dipstick, by heating over a flame til it broke loose."

Rated this article:

A

Anonymous

May 11, 2017

"More than one option. Close-up photos, great detailed instructions with emphasis on safety."